


It Could Last Forever

by siyooratrash



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Falling In Love, Fencing, Kinda, Mutual Pining, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:15:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26528845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siyooratrash/pseuds/siyooratrash
Summary: Siyeon remembers the best worst years of her life. A story that came to an end, and soon will have a second act.
Relationships: Han Dong | Handong/Lee Siyeon
Comments: 10
Kudos: 69
Collections: DreamCatcher Taylor Swift Ficfest 2k20





	It Could Last Forever

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution for the **[DreamCatcher Taylor Swift themed ficfest](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/DreamCatcherTaylorSwiftFicfest2k20)**. Please, don't hesitate to check the other works as well <3
> 
> Inspired by Love Story + Wonderland! I did my best and I really like the concept, I hope you do as well <3
> 
> \---
> 
> cw: internalized homophobia

Siyeon closes her eyes, letting the vibrant music from the orchestra embrace her entire being. It’s not her first time at the Opera, but it always feels like it.

The music spell breaks when she hears her sister Yubin crying at her side. Not due to the soprano's beautiful voice, but for a heartbreak.

The older sister sighs. She told her. Of course she told her. There was no way her relationship with that woman would end up well.

“You should be grateful it didn’t end up in a scandal.” Siyeon whispers, finally opening her eyes -much to her chagrin-, avoiding yet to part her sight from the stage. She hears Yubin sniffing loudly, making her inevitably roll her eyes.

“I loved her, Siyeon.” Yubin pouts before resting her head on her sister’s shoulder.

“Manners!” Siyeon scolds her, a woman from the balcony in front of them is already looking at them. “I can’t believe mom thinks you’re the mature one.”

“I can’t believe there’s a heart inside of _here_.” Yubin pinches Siyeon’s skin on her chest, causing her to jump on her seat.

“Yubin!!” She whispers what is supposed to be a yell.

Yubin chuckles. She’s always the one getting annoyed, her sister’s reaction feels like sweet revenge. Though, her satisfaction doesn’t last long. Soon, her mind comes back to her sentimental loss.

Siyeon sighs. “Come here.” She opens her arms, willing to hug her until the play ends.

Once her sister gets comfortable enough to fall asleep on her chest, Siyeon surrenders one more time to the music. But not before dedicating a death stare, accompanied by the kindest of the smiles to the old lady who hasn’t stopped glancing at them the entire time. “Nosy witch…” Siyeon whispers to herself.

She knows her well, that woman -like any other inside the building- won’t hesitate to start rumors on their family. It had been like that since Siyeon declined her son’s proposal. 

A fight scene starts, drawing all of the young woman’s attention. It’s Siyeon’s personal favorite part, unlike the pathetic impossible romance.

She centers her attention on the fencing duel. It’s been too long since she last held a sword. She misses feeling the balance of a good sword. She misses the sore in her body, the way her muscles relaxed once she took a long hot bath. But what she misses the most is her opponent. Her love.

To any other, those would be hurtful memories. To her, they’re just the sweet part of the worst moment of her life.

Away from her family, missing her sister like hell, she spent six years living with her maiden aunt on the other side of the ocean to study the arts. That was her father’s punishment for her unlady-like behavior. Siyeon’s growing interest in fencing and adventure books was his biggest headache. The day Siyeon rejected the eighth marriage proposal -at the age of seventeen- her father decided to send her away to get her back on track.

Being the firstborn and single was a shame to the family he couldn’t afford. At home, there was no place for disappointments.

Luckily for her, the old armory in her aunt’s mansion was next to the music room. Odd was the day she didn’t spend hours admiring the old armors, the swords and the amazing portraits decorating the room.

She could picture herself wearing one of those fancy outfits, or brandishing a sword to rescue a beautiful damsel in distress.

But that would never happen. She was destined to marry a stranger. Destined to live an unhappy life.

She came back everyday to the library in search of books that would teach her how to fight.

During the day, she watched her aunt’s protegees training. They were just a couple of orphans ten years younger than her, and their skills were no big thing. _Better than nothing_ , she thought.

The music room provided a good view, so she could take mental notes without arousing suspicion. 

Learning without a teacher was hard. Even more without previous training, but she managed to learn a few moves during the hot summer nights, out in the gardens.

Two years later in her secret schedule, she met Handong.

Her aunt had made a promise to a dear friend, who couldn’t take care of her as he would have wanted. Siyeon only knew when she found the other woman’s belongings at the door. And oh, she hated her since the first moment she saw her.

Not only did her aunt invite her unexpectedly, without an official date for her departure, she also made her sleep in the same room as her. 

It wasn’t a secret her aunt had serious economic problems, the help was almost nonexistent, but Siyeon found insulting her negative to prepare another room for the new guest.

Her night training had to wait until her Handong fell asleep, which delayed Siyeon’s sleeping schedule, which led to long reprimandings from her aunt for being late to her lessons.

That didn’t stop her from swinging the sword every night, though. Her aunt was stubborn, but Siyeon was even more. 

She trained harder and harder every night, to the point of exhaustion. Waking up was a nightmare, since her aunt came to her room earlier each day.

“Good ladies cannot be lazy, young woman!” She used to say.

Siyeon could see the little smirk on Handong’s face behind the book she read on the armchair every time she heard that sentence.

To Siyeon, Handong was extremely irritating. Everything about her annoyed her. Her cocky personality -directly colliding with hers-, her long light brown hair, her mouth, her eyes, her hands, her voice… She was always there. Everywhere she looked, everywhere she was.

If it wasn’t enough, Handong gained the favor of every visitor, relegating Siyeon to a second place. Even her aunt fell under her spell. Being the youngest of 7 siblings, Handong became an expert on catching people’s eyes.

How couldn’t they see it? She was fake, everything about her was fake. She faked every single interaction, every single smile, every word. And of course, Handong knew Siyeon wasn’t fond of her. Her roommate was an open book.

Or that’s what she thought.

Despite her economic problems, Siyeon’s aunt loved throwing parties. She invited friends who knew powerful people, and she tricked them into donating for a fake charity project. That way she could finance next month’s party.

Siyeon wondered how the hell she had never been caught. Maybe everybody knew and they just turned a blind eye. After all, her parties were the most entertaining in the area.

At one of those parties, the big ball room, bright as always, was filled with music and laughter of the attendants.

Siyeon sat on the most hidden table she could find after convincing her aunt that she wouldn’t find a husband that night. The old woman grumbled, but deep inside she knew her niece was right. Every man in that room was either close family or the oldest, ugliest people she had ever seen.

Silently sipping on her drink, she watched her roommate dancing non-stop with one of her cousins -who would stay for the night-. When she saw her cousin’s hands, dangerously lowering down Handong’s back, a bitter feeling flooded her insides. She couldn’t tell what grossed her out more. His shameless action? The way he licked her lips when he looked at hers? Or maybe the fact that Handong seemed to actually enjoy it?

The slow dance continued for so long Siyeon couldn’t handle any more of that show.

She excused before her aunt, catching Handong’s eyes. The younger woman froze while watching her go. And only a whisper from Siyeon’s cousin ended up bringing her mind back to the party.

Handong came back to the room late, hoping for Siyeon to be already asleep. Although her feet hurt from all the dancing, she wasn’t tired at all. 

She clicked her tongue when she saw her roommate sitting at the vanity, but that didn’t ruin her good mood.

“You should’ve stayed, we were having fun.” She took off her shoes, and started to get undressed.

“I was tired.” Siyeon replied, pretending to be focused on her task so she wouldn’t have to look at her. 

Handong giggled, letting herself fall onto the bed. “You left two hours ago.”

“So?”

The younger woman sighed. Why was Siyeon always so moody? There wasn’t a single day she didn’t try to get closer to her. But the other woman ended the conversation with the most stupid excuse possible. 

At first, months ago, maybe she didn’t respect much of the personal distance. But she was alone. Just a stranger in a home that wasn’t hers. She just wanted a friend. It was pretty obvious Siyeon didn’t want the same thing, but there was something about her that made Handong not want to stay away from her. She couldn’t tell what it was exactly, but she had the feeling that the real Siyeon was only hiding after a big wall. And she wanted to break it so bad...

“Your cousins are nice.” Handong said, watching Siyeon brushing her hair. “I like your family.” She continued, aware of how much she was bothering her.

“Oh, it shows. Just for your knowledge, the tallest is the rich one.” Siyeon snapped, right when Handong was willing to start reading her bedside book.

The younger woman automatically closed it. Usually Siyeon’s words didn’t hurt. But this time, it hit differently.

“Beg your pardon?”

“That’s why you’re here, right? To find a husband.” Siyeon said, blatantly.

Handong’s smile vanished. “I’m not interested in them.”

They way the younger woman put the matter to rest left Siyeon speechless. Guilt took over her, Handong couldn’t hide the sad expression on her face. Maybe she went too far. Handong had never been directly mean to her, she never did anything to be blamed for. 

The blackhaired closed her eyes, already regretting what she was about to do.

“What are you reading?” She asked, trying to be nice for once.

Handong looked at her genuinely surprised. She needed a few seconds to react and give her an answer. “Romeo and Juliet.” She sighed, looking at the cover while caressing it with her thumb. “It’s not my favorite-.”

“It’s too tragic.” Siyeon interrupted. She couldn’t tell why, but she always had something against that play. “And overrated.”

Handong raised an eyebrow, trying to carefully pick her words. “I agree.”

Siyeon turned, abruptly leaving the hair brush on the vanity. “Why would you write such a thing?? Man meets woman, they fall inevitably deeply in love, and instead of making them properly fight for it, because the fighting there is pathetic, you kill them. Oooohhh! So romantic, right? They died for each other! _Pathetic!!_ ” She shook her head, eyebrows frowned, after the exaggerated acting.

The older woman smirked, amused for the sudden and recently discovered passion that Siyeon had had well hidden until now. “I never thought of you as the romantic type.” She said, widening her smile.

Siyeon blushed. She wasn’t used to that kind of talk.

“I just like when things make sense.” She said, frowning and avoiding at all costs to look at Handong in the eyes.

_“_ Me too _”._ Handong thought out loud, resting her head on the headboard, unable to take her eyes off Siyeon. There was something about her at night. She had a much different aura from the one she had during daytime.

They didn’t exchange any more words. After long minutes of silence, both went to bed. 

As always, Siyeon waited until Handong fell asleep. Then, she got dressed carefully, without making a noise -as always-. But, unlike every other day, this time she stared at Handong. 

She was breathing calmly. Her relaxed expression, lightened by the moonlight, left Siyeon hypnotized. She was beautiful.

The older woman focused on her parted lips, wetting hers unconsciously. She stared at them for too long. So long, that when she became aware of what she was doing, she felt the guilt coming back. That guilt she had been feeling her whole life.

Her pulse was racing. She tensed her jaw and turned to the door. That night she would train harder than ever before. It was the only way to take those thoughts out of her mind.

She hit the tree with rage, focusing her anger on every brandish. She wanted to cry, she wanted to yell, she wanted the world to know how mad she was at herself. Frustration ran through her veins, making her blood boil.

Her muscles were all sore, and the sweat soaked her shirt. She didn’t mind the red liquid coming out of the fresh callouses, but that self-hate feeling wouldn’t go away and it was killing her inside.

With a last effort, she sliced a branch.

“You got some nice moves.” Handong said behind her, reaping a muffled gasp from her. “I bet that tree is terrified of you.” She was still wearing her nightgown, sword in hand.

“The hell are you doing here??” Siyeon asked, hand on her heart, recovering from the fright. The smirk on the other woman’s face took her back to her usual annoyance.

“I’ve been watching you, it’s not like you’re discreet.”

The younger woman remained silent. Handong didn’t seem to be surprised to find her there. For how long had she kept her secret? She looked at the only balcony visible from there. The one on the second floor. _Of course_ … She thought, closing her eyes. _How could I be so stupid_. It was the one in their room. 

“I could show you how to fight.” Handong showed the sword she brandished.

“Excuse me??” Siyeon said, her jaw tensed up, adding the deep offense to the shame she was already feeling for being caught. “I don’t need your help.”

It was the second time on that day Handong dedicated something similar to kind words to her. And that was precisely why Siyeon didn’t trust her. Knowing her, it was all a plan to finally make the rest of her stay a living hell.

There was only one way to find out her true intentions.

* * *

Siyeon lunged a powerful cut on the tree. She instantly turned to point the weapon back at Handong. Fighting against her felt as if all the training was all for nothing, but despite that she didn’t let frustration take over her.

It was the first time Siyeon crashed two steels together. Her whole body shivered, already feeling the terrible danger she would be in if her rival was an intruder. The thought only excited her even more.

“Hey! Careful with that! You could hurt yourself, miss…” She pouted exaggeratedly as she deflected Siyeon’s sword with hers. The tone on the brunnette while mocking her made the older woman hit harder. 

She was surprisingly skilled. The way she dodged every thrust Siyeon gave, made sense later back in the bedroom, when she revealed she studied the art of fencing in her childhood years, way before her father passed away.

“Don’t…” Siyeon attacked. “you ever...” She missed. “Get tired?”

Siyeon gave up. She let herself fall onto the soft grass to catch her breath.

“So?” Handong giggled. The sight of the other woman lying there, incapable of moving a single muscle was too funny to be ignored. “My offer still stands.”

Siyeon sighed loudly. “I need a hot bath.” There was nothing more pleasing than making Handong wait for an answer. Except maybe for that hot bath.

The brunette walked towards her. “I’ll prepare you one myself if you accept.”

There was something about Handong’s tone. A nuance she had never heard before on her. Was she…? No, that couldn’t be possible.

Suddenly, her heart raced. Handong was getting closer. She could hear her kneeling to lie on her side right after.

When Siyeon opened her eyes, there she was. Looking at her with a suggestive raise of eyebrows, resting her head on her hand.

“I mean it.” She couldn’t see her face clearly, it was too dark, but there was kindness on her voice.

She was close. Too close.

“Why?” Siyeon asked, whispering. She didn’t mean to let out such a weak and stupid question, but feeling Handong’s calming -yet still agitated after the exercise- breath next to her, affected her more than she would like to admit. 

The younger woman shrugged. “Just because.”

Siyeon turned, laying on her side to face the other woman. “How do I know you’re not going to tell on me tomorrow?”

Handong chuckled, ending up biting her lip. Damn, her laugh was something else. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Siyeon swallowed, almost as if she chewed her answer. “I don’t know, you don’t seem to like me very much.”

There was a certain huskiness in Siyeon’s voice. She couldn’t tell if it was due to the training fatigue or a recently discovered shyness.

Handong stayed quiet for a few seconds. It didn’t feel awkward, but the tension between them was more than obvious.

“I thought you were the one who didn’t like me.” She said, showing the hurt that remained from the previous talk with bitterness in her voice.

The older woman froze. How could she reply without exposing herself as a total jerk? There was absolutely no way to get away with it. She couldn’t help but let out a little embarrassed chuckle when she spoke. “And I didn’t.”

_Didn’t_. Handong thought, smiling at herself for the past tense Siyeon used. She considered mocking her for letting her guard down, but it wasn’t the right time. “I’d really like to start over.”

Handong allowed her a moment of silence. She really wanted to know what the other woman had to say. The idea of putting on a truce to that cold war of theirs was appealing. After all, they didn’t know for how long they would have to cohabit. It could be months, but it also could be years.

“Me too.” Siyeon finally said.

In the dark of the night, Handong allowed herself to smile brightly. “Good.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was first planned as a oneshot but as always, the idea became bigger. Stay tuned for the next chapter! <333
> 
> \----
> 
> Twitter user: @radicalmomocist
> 
> Here's my **[curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/radicalmomocist)**
> 
> If you like what I write and feel like buying me a coffee or a commission, you can do it **[here](https://ko-fi.com/radicalmomocist)** <3


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